Black Swan's

Photo Album, Between Past and Future (Seventy Eight)

On this sunny afternoon, Eden was seen busy in the workspace of Aciel to clean up the files that the man had not had time to clean on busy grounds. Actually, Aciel used to tell one of the maids at his house, but this afternoon Eden somehow really wanted to clean up the workspace of Aciel so that he did not feel bored because his two children today were invited to go by Olivia and Sian. Two days ago Sian officially took off the pen on his leg after the surgery he had done. And to celebrate the healing of his legs, Sian decided to take Olivia and her two cute nieces for a walk. At first Eden was of course happy, because then he could rest for a while in his house while lazing.

But unexpectedly, he actually felt bored and lonely because his two children who usually always make him dizzy, not at home, but at home, and he could not spend his time just lazing around in the room while waiting for his two children to come home.

            Ed!” Eden faintly heard the voice of her husband who had just come home from the office was shouting to call out to her. She then shouted loudly from inside her husband's office to tell him she was there and was struggling with a pile of dusty files.

            “What are you doing in my workspace?” aciel asked inexhaustibly when he saw Eden who looked dirty with dust stuck in his hair. Earlier this morning he had just asked Mr. Kim to clean up his study and dispose of old files that were no longer used.

            “I'm bored. You know, I was lonely because the kids were taken away by Sian and Olivia.”

            “Ahh yes, she sent us a photo of the children while eating at the amusement park this afternoon.”

            “So Sian really took them there? Ciara must be really happy. He had waited more than a month to go there, but his super busy father never once listened to the whining of his favorite daughter.” Eden's lips suck. Aciel looks not bothered by the innuendo that Eden threw at him because indeed he did not have time to invite Ciara to go to the amusement park. Sometimes having a lot of money also can not make Aciel and merta have many opportunities to make his family happy.

            “We will definitely go Ed, but not yet in the near future. I'm still busy.” added Aciel defensively. He then walked closer to Eden and sat beside Eden who was busy arranging many files into the cardboard. “Why silent?” ask Aciel when Eden no longer voice to just satirize him or just to chatter as usual.

            “What? What do you expect I'll tell you? I'm too tired of hearing your false promises.”

            “Hey..” Aciel grabbed Eden's head into his arms, and it immediately made Eden flinch because she had not yet taken a bath after the office. “You are adorable, I so want to bite you.” joked Aciel with a crisp sounding laugh. It seems like they haven't spent a long time together like this. Blame it on Sian who is recovering from his illness for too long, making Aciel become increasingly busy to do much of the work he would normally share with Sian.

            “Ace, you haven't had a shower! You stink.” growled Eden thrashed. But again Aciel just laughed while kissing the top of Eden's head with anxiety.

            “You are indeed adorable.”

            “I know, if I wasn't adorable, you wouldn't be crazy about me.” Eden replied confidently. Now that he is no longer trying to escape from Aciel, he is leaning comfortably against Aciel's warm chest.

            “Nby the way...”.

            “What's up?”

            Suddenly Eden stood up from his seat, then walked towards the brown cardboard that Eden had arranged in the corner of the room. There was something that Eden found today, and he just remembered if he intended to ask Aciel after the man came home from the office.

            “I found this.” point Eden at a plain dark brown-coated ledger that looks a little dusty in some parts. At first glance Aciel was confused by the book that had been found by Eden, but then he remembered it and asked Eden to bring the book to him.

           “You found where this book is?”

            “In your pile of unused files. I don't know if you like to collect photos like this.”

            “Emm yes..to remind me of interesting things that happened in the past. Have you seen it?”

            “Hmm... but I don't remember the story behind these photos, will you tell me again?” pinta Eden half begged. Today he was thrilled to find an album photograph that had been stacked with Aciel's papers. For him the album photo was like a memory piece that would make Eden remember his past that he had forgotten.

            “Let me see whose photo is the opening of this photo album.” Aciel took the photo album from Eden's hand, and the man seemed to be smiling strangely while looking at Eden's red face.

“Photo us.” murmured Eden like a whisper. When he opened it this afternoon, he himself could hardly believe that the photo that became the first page in the photo album was a photo of himself and also Aciel when he was very young, about when he was eighteen years old at the time.

            “You remember this photo?”

            “I remember, this is when I foolishly loved you for the first time.” Eden replied sounding fierce. Aciel immediately laughed at the scowling face of Eden who was trying to cover up his embarrassment due to recalling his silly memories in the past. The young Eden who used to be the young Eden who was so infatuated with Aciel before the man broke his heart into pieces.

            “Don't mock me! What if I used to be crazy about you, even I was too stupid at that time.”

            “Stupid? You're not stupid Ed, you're just too innocent.” explained Aciel with a laugh. “Nothing, all this is just a part of the past that now feels very different as we reminisce again now.”

            “Yeah..you're right, I feel like this is something funny. Who took our picture at the time?”

            “Not Sian? I used to get it from Sian.” replied Aciel while staring at his picture fixedly. One of his sweet memories with Eden in the past when he was still a jerk. He remembered that he and Eden had gone to a restaurant to have lunch with Sian. Then they had time to menansasi Sian who at that time did not have a partner by showing off their affection that seemed excessive.

            “I really remember how upset Sian was at lunch with us at that time, he looked annoyed.” recalls Eden amused. Time has really passed so quickly. Now Sian was happy with the woman he loved, and they could no longer tempt Sian as they once did.

            “Sian never seems to feel annoyed if we go together with her. The pitiful guy.” chuckled Aciel while flipping the photo sheet to the next page.

“Wow...” muttered Eden was amazed when the next photo was a photo of Aciel with his father and also their other business friends.

            “Photos of your father and I as we take a business trip to Spain.” let Aciel know. He tried to observe the face of Eden who suddenly changed softly after a long time they did not discuss about Brexton.

            “I feel I have become an evil princess, I almost forgot my father.” whispered a raucous Eden. Aciel immediately embraced Eden into her arms and calmed the woman from the guilt that surrounded her heart.

            “Already, your father has been living a quiet life in heaven. Don't you want to know the story behind our business trip to Spain back then?”

            “What's wrong?” eden asked while wiping away the tears that had been dripping down his cheeks.

            “So..”.

            “Wait wait!” suddenly Eden stopped the story of Aciel while holding up his body that had previously been leaning against Aciel's chest. “You haven't told me who the men in this photo are.”

            “Owh. well, we start with the guy on the left corner who is your dad, and then this big-smiling mustachy guy is Fergusso, and then it's me, and this is Marco.” pointing Aciel at the reddish-skinned man standing at the far right.

            “OK I understand, now continue your story.”

            “So we were on a business trip to Spain. At that time you were probably only six or seven years old. I still remember when you cried roaring before your father left.” recalls Aciel with a small smile on his face. Unlike Aciel who looks so happy when remembering Eden

a small crybaby, Eden actually felt embarrassed because he himself did not remember the memories of his childhood.

            “I forgot, this memory of mine does suck. Let's continue your story.” pinta Eden impatiently. Aciel went on to tell Brexton, who lost the bet until the man had to pay all the hotel bills and meal bills for all of them. Eden then laughed out loud hearing Aciel's silly story with her father. They when young really have become jerks who like to waste their money just for a stupid bet.

            “You bet just to seduce a waiter? crazy fuck!”

            “It used to be something funny because we knew if your father would never be able to seduce any woman after your mother left him pitifully.”

            “Yayaya. It hurts too much, you know? better we just change to the next page.” said Eden turned riled up. His right hand then turned the next page which turned out to bring up a portrait of him in the past that he did not remember at all at this time.

“When did you take this photo?”

            “As you have turned increasingly wild and difficult to control.” recalls Aciel remembering. He seems to have the photo because Mr. Kim sent it at that time. When he asked Mr. Kim to keep an eye on Eden when he could not keep an eye on the woman himself, Mr. Kim sent him pictures every day. Including two other Eden photos that he finally saved until now because he thinks Eden in the photo looks beautiful.

“I love your smile that you never showed me again after I made too many mistakes with you. Your smile is beautiful.” praise Aciel sincerely. Eden's cheeks instantly blushed red and she continued to smile strangely while staring at the photos that Aciel had taken secretly.

            “Why did you save these photos?”

            “Because sometimes I miss the past so much and want to remember it while contemplating here. If I feel tired after working all day, I will open it up and start reminiscing about the wonderful things I almost forgot if I didn't keep one of them here.” point Aciel on the photo album that is still open with a portrait of Eden who is smiling so sweetly.

            “The next one is sure you will like.” Aciel flipped the next sheet in the photo album, and he boasted a smile as Eden cried out in excitement when he saw a photo of Tranz and little Ciara in his photo collection.

“Tranz? You keep the picture too? Geez.. I miss that bad guy.”

            “Yeah... This is the only photo of your friend that I keep because here Ciara looks adorable.” said Aciel explained that Eden did not feel big because he had saved a photo of Tranz.

            “You don't hate Tranz?”

            “No, because he's not a threat. The only guy who doesn't go after you like the others is Tranz. Unfortunately he was a little bit of a jerk to make me more cynical to him.”

            “Ck, Tranz is not a jerk man, he only has a difficult past.” martial Eden straightened out. He did not want Aciel to misunderstand Tranz because after all Tranz was the only person who helped him he was in a difficult time at that time.

            “Now where is it?” ask Aciel suddenly. Eden turned his head quickly towards Aciel, then he sniffed his shoulders a sign of not knowing.

            “Tranz hasn't contacted me in a long time, but someone told me that Tranz is currently married and living in Canada.”

            “Good, at least he is no longer a jerk after having his own family.”

            “What does that remind you?” seduce Eden with a wicked smile.

            “Maybe. Let's see the other photos.” Aciel flipped the page of the next photo, and he immediately found their photo while on vacation to the Maldives two months after getting married.

“This is me?”

            “Of course. Here's a picture of you when you were pregnant with Louise. Two months after getting married, we finally have time to go on vacation with Ciara to the Maldives. But when in this photo Ciara was in the hotel with her babysitter.”

towards Aciel who was just looking at him with a lazy look. The most annoying thing that Eden continues to do, she sometimes still doubts Louise's pregnancy and their marriage.

            “Do you still have doubts? See this.” Aciel turned the page to the next photo, which was their wedding photo a year and a half ago.

“We really married Ed, I'm not lying.” said Aciel riled. Eden just laughed out loud listening to Aciel who always turns frivolous if he teases the man about their marriage.

            “You're funny.”

            “And you're not funny at all. Look at this.” again Aciel opened the photo page to the next part until now Eden can see a photo of himself and Aciel that looks so friendly. “This is a photo taken two days after we got married. You are even very spoiled to me.” added Aciel annoyed.

“Who took this photo?”

            “I.”

            “You?” ask Eden doesn't believe it. He thought Aciel was not the kind of guy who likes to take pictures of himself to spark such intimacy.

            “Why? I did it deliberately to save it if at any time you return to acting. And it turns out true, you again doubt our loving life, even you accuse me of deceiving you.”

            Eden immediately laughed hard at Aciel who now turned childish just because of his annoying attitude that lately more often he did because he wanted to tempt Aciel. “Why are you sulking like this?” seductive Eden prank while poking Aciel's chin.

            “I'm not sulking, you're the one who missed.” reply Aciel lazy, but not influenced by Eden because the woman was still laughing with a funny attitude Aciel this afternoon.

            “Do you know if you're adorable while sulking?” ask Eden again to tease Aciel.

            “Do not tease me, Ed.” reply Aciel annoyed. Assume Eden is crazy right now because she is too excited by the funny pictures of their past. But when Eden remembered something, he suddenly stopped his laughter and looked seriously at Aciel.

            “Ace..”

            “Hmm?”

            “Do you save Zyan photos as well?”

           “No. There's no way I'm keeping a photo of the man who took you and Ciara away from me.”

            “Ck, don't kidnap like that, Ace. If you don't keep it, I'm fine. You don't get mad at the person who has died.”

            “I'm not angry.” said Aciel indifferently. Eden just rolled his eyeballs lazily, and he immediately flipped the next page to look at the other photos that were still kept by Aciel.

“What is this?” point at Eden while gaping. For the first time he saw Aciel had

friends other than Sian. Even Aciel seemed to enjoy his time together

his friends in the photo.

            “This.... the most desirable singles in Vegas.” kekeh Aciel next to Eden. He almost forgot about his two friends he knew when he had been CEO of his grandfather's company years ago. The two people taking pictures with him were the bachelors who often heated the party hall because they would definitely be the hot talk of the women who were in the same hall as them.

            “Who is this man standing next to you, the man in the left corner.” point Eden at the man in a maroon-colored suit who looks so handsome in his eyes.

            “That's Marquez Velezues, friend from Italy.”

            “He looks handsome.” Eden comments as is with a grin on Aciel. He will not tell lies for a truth that is too difficult to refute.

            “Marquez and I were the most wanted men back then.” said Aciel proud of himself.

            “Really?” eden asked while glancing lazily towards Aciel. Eden's index finger then moved towards the portrait of the bespectacled man standing in the middle between Sian and also Aciel in the photo. “Then what about this guy? His face looks the most innocent among you.”

            “That's Rocco, Marquez's cousin. Rocco is the most innocent of us. He was even the first person to give up his bachelorhood after being in a relationship with his girlfriend for two years. Though we all at that time still like to play around and not think too much about the married life that we think is too troublesome because if we get married, we will not be able to have fun anymore.”

            “Ck, what kind of thinking is that?” cibir Eden didn't take it. He nudged Aciel's arm, intending to drop the man so that he would be exposed to dust that had accumulated on old papers. But instead of falling, Aciel actually made Eden trapped in his arms so that the man could tickle Eden with satisfaction.

            “Because of you!”

            “Hahaha..jeez Ace, release!” please Eden thrashed. Since long time ago he never put up with tickling or any kind of touch that leads to tickling. “Ace! Kyaa...” cried Eden excitedly followed by the sound of laughter Aciel that sounded so loose in his study.

            “You want to do prank? Hmm... don't hope you can do it to me.” Aciel continued to tickle Eden until the woman looked weak helpless in front of him.

            “OK okay... I give up.” said Eden with his hand raised surrender sign. Aciel eventually stops his tickling and he allows Eden to take as many breaths as she can after the woman loses oxygen from laughing too much.

            “You are still strong to see the next photo?” aciel asked disdainfully after seeing Eden who looked so exhausted by his attack. The woman then straightened her body again while staring fiercely at Aciel. “I'm always ready, you don't underestimate me, Ace.”

            “Alright Eden dear, let's see our photos.” said Aciel while smiling.

            “Kita?”

            The next photo is a photo of Eden, Aciel, and Ciara who are laughing with people who look foreign in the eyes of Eden. The woman reflexively showed her confused face towards Aciel because she could not remember the memory in the photo at all.

            “This is the Zyan family, the woman who embraces us is Zyan's mother. And they were Zyan's brothers who were gathered at Zyan's mother's house when we came with Ciara.”

            “Yes God.. I don't remember it at all, Ace.” said Eden was upset with himself. Sometimes he gets annoyed and hits his own head when he cannot remember any memories that happened in the past. “I want to remember it, Ace. Why can't I do it?” ask Eden

annoyed. He was already quite frustrated with his miserable state.

        “You can't force it, Ed.”

        “But I want.”

        Aciel let out a long sigh, he grasped Eden's strong hand, squeezing it for a while so that he could channel his energy to Eden. “Akupun also wants to, but we can't force your brain to do it. Never mind, let's just see the next photo I just entered yesterday.” said Aciel tried to entertain Eden so that the woman was not increasingly frustrated with the circumstances that never get her memory back.

            “You remember this photo?” aciel asked Eden, who was answered with a slow nod.

            “Since when did you guys take pictures like this?”

            “Ciara did it with my phone. This was last week when we were waiting for you before we went shopping. I was sunbathing with Louise.”

            “I am long because I have to prepare you guys first.” Eden said in self-defense. Aciel gazes at his old picture and Louise he accidentally keeps as one of their memories.

            “Why?”

            “No, just feel anxious when you see Louise. Sometimes when I look at Louise, I get reminded of Ciara's childhood and the little Ciara photos that Zyan sent to my email. If I wasn't late to open it, maybe things would be different. Ciara will have a father a long time ago and does not need to experience a lot of drama because of me.”

            “Ssshhh... What's wrong with you, Ace? Don't regret anything that has happened in the past. Now you better get out, listen to the voices of your children who have come with Sian.” tell Eden who has since heard the shrill voice of Ciara.

            “Mommy!”

            Suddenly the door of the study room was pushed hard and the little girl started screaming in excitement while showing off the items she bought from the amusement park.

            “Uncle Sian bought me bando unicorn. I also ate bread with the head of a shrek and a pony. Today is fun.” story Ciara enthusiast. Sian and Olivia who were listening from the door were smiling happily as they had made Ciara cheerfully again after the little girl had been sulking because her father never had time to drive her to the amusement park.

            “Hey, where are the souvenirs for daddy?” tanya Aciel who has been feeling anxious since then wants to kiss the cheeks of Chubby Ciara which is increasingly filled.

            “Huh, bad daddy. Daddy never took Ciara for a walk.”

            Eden immediately held back the laughter in front of Aciel and gave a mocking glance at Aciel who looked annoyed at being bullied by her own son. He then promised Ciara that he would take the girl on vacation for as long as Ciara wanted after Aciel had successfully completed all his work at the office. But again Ciara ignored him and actually pulled Eden to arrange his new toy in his room.

            “I think you should be more at home after this Ace.” Sian said teasingly. The man just got a sharp glint from Aciel.

        “I've decided that starting tomorrow you should go to the office. Your vacation time is up, Sian.”

         “What? I haven't even had a honeymoon with Olivia because I had to do therapy yesterday.”

            “No excuses. Because of you, my son is angry with me and thinks I'm evil. Anyway I don't want to know, you should get into the office immediately because I'm going on vacation with my family.”

            At once Sian's face turned pale, and Olivia could only smile wryly at her husband who was forced to delay all her dreams to take her on vacation to Australia.

            “Maybe we can go another time dear. It's time for you to return to work for a new family member coming soon.”

            “What? What do you mean Olivia?”

            “No, not nothing.” replied the mysterious Olivia and immediately went to catch up with Eden in Ciara's room. From behind her back, Olivia was smiling. Maybe later when the time is right, he will give Sian a very good surprise for the man.